EMS Mission Council Meeting Held in GhanaReport on Missionary Council of the Association of Churches and Missionsin South Western Germany (EMS) “Department of Mission and Ecumenism, andDeveloping Nations Church Assistance” of the Wu”rttemberg Church

The International Mission Council of the Association of Churches andMissions based in Southwestern Germany (Evangelisches Missionswerk inSu”dwestdeutschland: EMS) held its Annual Meeting in Abokobi near Accrain Ghana, June 15-21. At the meeting, 36 EMS representatives from 23churches and 5 mission societies in ten countries in Europe, Asia, andAfrica, along with the EMS administrative officers, debated anddetermined future mission activities. This meeting is held annually, andevery sixth year it is held outside of Germany. Twelve years ago, it washeld in Indonesia and six years ago in India. This is the first time forit to be held in Africa. The council was hosted by the PresbyterianChurch of Ghana, an EMS partner church that worked hard to put thisconference together. Among countries in Africa, Ghana is politicallystable with good peace and order.

This meeting focused on future mission policy for at least the nextthree years (2009-2012), along with the financing to make that possible.Regarding the content of missions, EMS administrative officials prepareddetailed materials with evaluations of past activities andfuture-focused proposals. With respect to finances, EMS is dependent toa large degree upon the German state church and is facing a majorproblem because of the sharp decline in church tax income predicted forthe German churches. To be specific, by 2012 the Association mustdecrease its budget by 150 million yen (one million Euros). EMS’s annualbudget is about one billion yen, and so this financial problem was animportant topic of this Annual Meeting.

Regarding the content of the mission activities, most are administeredby the EMS officers, but the basic framework for the “three-year plan”was proposed by the Indonesian church. Activities have been diverse upto now and spring from the rich fellowship of the churches and missionsocieties that form EMS. Europe (primarily Germany) and fellowship(partnership) with Asia and Africa is occurring at the local level. Forexample, local exchanges between Germany and South Korea and betweenGermany and Indonesia have been ongoing for about 20 years in someplaces. Unfortunately, there is not even one Kyodan local church inregular partnership with a German church. The Kyodan churches and laityhave learned from German theology, but it must be said that actualexchange has been rare.

EMS has maintained 85 projects in the past. In the headquarters inStuttgart, there is an “Asia Desk” that maintains relationships withchurches in India, Korea, China, and Japan and jointly bears with themresponsibilities and shares issues. The liaison secretary for Japan isLutz Drescher, assisted by secretary Gisela Koellner. Mira Sonntag has beensent from EMS to Japan and serves as the director of Tomisaka ChristianCenter in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

Previous activities, such as dealing with gender issues and measures forprevention of HIV & AIDS, have been well regarded and will be continuedfor the next three years. Also, volunteer activities that representativeyouth from Japan also participated in were seen to produce good resultsin starting new fellowships and networking among youth. Furthermore,related to the financial problem and EMS’s particular relationship tothe Kyodan, EMS has changed the budget for support funds as follows:450,000 yen to be given for the work of “prison chaplains” in 2010-11,similarly 900,000 yen for the Buraku Liberation Center, and likewise,900,000 yen for the Japanese-Filipino Family Support Center located atthe Japan Christian Center.

At this Annual Meeting of the Mission Council, there were livelydeliberations and decisions regarding the EMS Focus. “Giving Account ofour Hope” was chosen as the slogan for 2009-12, and eagerness can befelt for witnessing to the hope in Christ in an age of hopelessness.

As for my own reflections on participating in this Mission Council, Ifelt that since EMS has high expectations for and solidarity with theKyodan, the Kyodan has a responsibility to respond. Reductions inpersonnel funds limit the Asia coordinator to visiting Japan only onceevery other year, but through other exchanges, I hope that we canfurther deepen our relationship. (Tr. PST)